


Breathe Again

by BlackAngel001



Category: RWBY
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Gen, Might become a series, Not Happy, Sort Of, There's a plan, What Have I Done, i'm not sure, in brain death you sometimes hallucinate, now with more sad!, there will actually be an explanation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-26
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:47:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21567865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackAngel001/pseuds/BlackAngel001
Summary: Most people were afraid of death. He wasn't. When he died, he could see them. When he died, he could feel true happiness. When he died, he came home. Then he woke up, and it killed him in a truer sense than anything else could.
Comments: 10
Kudos: 51





	1. I Want to Breath Again

“There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home,” Oz muttered over and over. Occasionally, he  
gasped for air and the phrase came out in a wheezing breath. Dark blood spilled over his lips and the  
words were mouthed as he tried to expel the liquid from his throat and mouth.

Oz could see the cavern around him crumbling; he couldn’t move to avoid any of the debris, couldn’t use  
his magic to shield himself. All he could do was lay there, bleed, and repeat that one sentence over and  
over.

“OZ!” Someone was screaming.

“There’s no place like home,” the words were coming slower, beginning to slur. Blood loss was making  
his vision dim; the head injury (and the myriad of other injuries) were making it hard to focus. Someone  
was still screaming.

“Oz, damn it, don’t do this to me. Come on, come on, come on.” The words trailed off into desperate  
whispers.

“Th’s n’plc…l’ke….h’me….” Ozpin was too cold to feel the warmth of his friend’s arms around him, too  
far gone to feel himself lifted. He faintly heard Qrow speaking, demanding, crying. Ozpin was too tired,  
too drained, too hurt to do anything for him. Oz couldn’t help himself. How could he help Qrow?

“Please, please Oz,” Qrow cried. His friend, his best friend, didn’t answer. Ozpin’s eyes were unfocused  
and staring up at nothing. He didn’t seem to be aware of anything. Qrow lowered his head until his hair  
brushed Oz’s shoulder. He heard the raspy quality of Oz’s voice, the wheezing and rattling breaths  
wracking the chest growing softer.

“Th’s….n’….place…” The words trailed off. The chest stopped rattling and rising. The sightless eyes rolled  
back. The bloody body went completely limp.

Qrow cried over his friend’s body for hours.

Ozma was aware of a brightness beyond his closed eyelids. His ears picked up the sound of pattering  
feet and hushed giggles. He felt himself smile as his little girls all jumped onto him, shrieking for him to  
wake up. He opened his eyes and took in their smiling faces.

“There’s no place like home,” he whispered to himself.


	2. I Want to Find My Heaven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was all gone. His hopes, his dreams, his future. They were gone. All he had left were his magic words. The beginning of the journey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I didn't think I would add another chapter, but inspiration has kicked me well in the ass and here we are. Another emotional ride, so buckle up buttercups.

Ozma dragged himself along the ground, desperately trying to find any trace of his little girls. Nothing. There was nothing. How? Why?!

He rolled himself over and lay panting. The starry sky was obscured by smoke and his tears. It didn't matter. All Ozma could think about, all he could see, were his four beautiful children. Smiling, happy, laughing. _Alive_. He choked on a sob. His babies. 

A memory came to him of Dorothy, grinning up at him toothily, eyes sparking with mischief. 

_"There's no place like home, Daddy!"_

He was barely aware of Salem approaching him. He continued to stare at the sky as the blood drained from his body, leaving him weak. His heart began to stutter. He couldn't hear what she was saying, couldn't be sure of what he was saying to her. He could be cursing her. He could be forging her.

_Forgive? No. There was no forgiveness in him. Not for this. Not for her. Not for him._

"No place like home," he said softly before chuckling manically and wetly.

Home? What home? His home was _gone_ , there was no home. Not anymore.

Salem was still standing over him. She was saying something, he knew. He could see her pale lips move. He could only continue to think of his home, his girls. As Salem raised her hand for that final blow, the last images in his mind were of four little girls, and the words _there's no place like home_. 

The world blazed in white, then faded.

There were birds, and sunshine. The scent of flowers tickled his nose. Incredibly, his eyes opened. A golden field greeted him, and his girls making flower crowns smiled up at him. 

"Welcome home, Daddy."


	3. Give Me New Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He's used this spell for centuries, honed it and perfected it. Even at his worst, especially at his worst, he could invoke it. Now it seems even that has left him.

Ozpin couldn't breath. He stood in shock as his life was played out for his closest friend, for the children he'd tried so hard to protect ( _for a stranger!_ ). They were seeing everything, all the details he'd forgotten ( _never forgot, tried to forget but never could_ ) and the memories he tried to escape. He watched the emotions play out on their faces ( _pity, no don't pity me, don't you dare; anger, yes, I'm angry too_ ) and could do nothing, say nothing.

Watching that fight with Salem, seeing for certain for the first time what happened to his children, was like being strung and quartered, being burned and crucified all at once but with so much more pain.

As his life continued to play out to Jinn's amusement and his horror, he could do nothing. Finally finally _finally_ it was over. He felt his legs refuse to hold him any longer and give out. Cold and wet seeped through his pants. The only warmth he felt were the tears he couldn't stop streaming down his face. He stared helplessly at Qrow. Then stared in disbelief and finally acceptance as his friend, his best friend, his one honest friend in years, turned on him. Everyone turned their backs on him.

What had he expected? Understanding? Sympathy? Compassion?

No.

 _There's no place like home_ , he thought desperately. _There's no place like home_.

He did the only thing he could think to do. He left. He retreated as far as he could inside Oscar's mind. His little corner was dark and cold; he couldn't hear what was being said outside, couldn't hear Oscar. That was fine. Alone was fine.

Alone was all he had.

"There's no place like home," he cried, slowly beginning to rock back and forth. "There's no place like home, there's no place like home..."

His magic words, the spell that brought him so much comfort in death did nothing this time.

This time there was no home to go to.


	4. Today's a New Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apologies and something almost like forgiveness.

At night, Oscar went as far inside himself as he could go. He was getting better at it, could go farther each time. But it wasn't far enough. He wasn't able to reach him. He couldn't find him. 

Ozpin was, effectively, gone. He couldn't hear him, couldn't feel his presence. It was like the man hadn't ever existed, although Oscar knew better. He couldn't hear the man who had been his constant companion for almost a year, but he could feel him.

That despair, the hurt, the hopelessness. Oscar felt that, down to his bones. He hated it. He hated that he helped cause that. He wanted to make it better, if he could. 

But he needed to find Ozpin first.

Then he did, without quite knowing how he did it. 

Oscar had never been this far before. It was a dark place, where no light reached. It was a cold place. Remembering some of the techniques Ozpin taught him, he imagined a soft light reaching into the darkness. He turned in a slow circle, looking into all the corners. 

He saw feet, and long legs stretched out. He approached carefully and slowly. The light moved up the legs, a stomach, a torso, long arms and lean shoulders. Then, a pale haggard face. 

Ozpin was leaning against a corner in this deep place, arms limp by his side, head tilted back. His eyes were open and staring up at nothing. His lips were moving silently. Oscar was struck by how ragged and worn down he looked. 

Ozpin looked like his thousands of years had caught up to him, like he was feeling every lifetime all over again. 

Like he was broken.

Oz took a deep breath, like he was steeling himself. He looked at Oscar, studying him quietly and without judgment. Oscar stared back. 

"Why are you crying," the man croaked. 

With a start, Oscar raised a hand and wiped at his wet cheek. He hadn't realized.

"I'm sorry," he said instead of answering."I'm...so sorry." 

He took a few shaky steps closer and fell to his knees beside the man he'd begun to think of as, not quite a friend, not yet. Maybe not ever now. But Ozpin had always had his best interests in mind, had always tried to look out for him and protect him as he could. The only one, he was beginning to think, who had ever done so in their rag tag group.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know, I didn't mean. I just. I thought." He hung his head and let the tears flow.

Ozpin was silent as he cried. He watched the young and small shoulders heave and...ached. Despite everything, he ached for the boy and what he'd gone through. Oz sighed again. 

"I know," he said quietly.

They sat there until the tears were gone, until Oscar was able to look at the man without breaking down again. They sat in silence and darkness with only a bit of light to shine around them, and shared their grief. It wasn't forgiveness, or absolution. It was understanding, and acknowledgment, and right then it was what Oscar needed.

**Author's Note:**

> First fic in a while and for a new fandom. Very very nervous. Hope everyone likes it! I may make it a series, I'm not sure yet. This one though, is dedicated to Ozcarpin for helping me get the nerve to actually post it.


End file.
